Category - Foodie and Nightlife

In the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas lies Cherokee County, the only county in the state that can lay claim to 13.2 miles of Old Route 66. Established in 1926, the two-lane road originally stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles and became famous for the unique communities along “Route 66.”

Imagine dining on roast buffalo like the Native Americans or baked ham with strawberry sauce just as the early settlers did, with your meal delivered by servers in period costumes inside a Victorian era decorated home built in 1861 along the famous Santa Fe Trail. Find this unique cultural experience inside Council Grove’s Trail Days Café and Museum where you truly step back in time dining on historical foods in a historic setting.

Stroll through a thriving vineyard with a glass of wine in your hand. Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery in Paola, Kan., invites you to experience its grape-growing and winemaking processes firsthand. We recently spent time with Somerset representatives who are eager to share their winery’s story and details on their award-winning, handcrafted Kansas wines.

This month we’re featuring a recipe from Swedish Pastries & Emporium in Lindsborg, Kan. The biker-friendly restaurant serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday. The menu includes Swedish pancakes, meatballs, pastries and sandwiches, plus daily specials. You can also browse the gift shop featuring paintings of cats by local artist Beverly Barbo.

Photo credit: Holton House Bed & BreakfastVisitors often stay for the Victorian décor, plush bedding and spacious bathrooms at the Holton House Bed & Breakfast in Holton, but they usually come for the restaurant and fried chicken dinners served family style. “You don’t have to be an overnight guest to enjoy our meals,” say owners Shaun and Tara Sheegan in our interview, “just come hungry.”

The Wheatland Café in the little town of Hudson has a lot to crow about. Every Sunday, people flock to this small community in central Kansas to gobble up Darrell Bauer’s famous fried chicken on a buffet featuring favorite foods like Grandma used to make. Yep, that means flavorful chicken that is just-right crispy and golden on the outside while moist and juicy on the inside, savory ham, real mashed potatoes with white gravy, warm bread from the oven, and homemade ice cream. Darrell says he and his wife, Shannon, cook the hard way…from scratch.

Try a family-style chicken dinner in turn-of-the-century Kansas restaurantIn Central Kansas, the Brookville Hotel’s name has been synonymous with “family style chicken dinners” since 1915. Owner Helen Martin became famous serving the home-style dinners to World War II soldiers visiting Brookville from nearby bases.

The colorful, arty sign above Smoffee’s gave me a preview of what’s inside this former motion picture theater. Starring a fun and inviting atmosphere and homemade food, this inventive bakery, bistro, and coffee/smoothie shop is the happening place in Colby! A cast of local characters gathers here daily to leisurely sip gourmet coffee while conversing about the world’s problems. Friends connect over a lunch of green chili or apricot chicken. This is the community gathering spot owners Shawn and Mary Larson hoped it would be. And visitors are welcomed as family.